


The Price We Pay

by Amatara



Category: Twin Peaks
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Friendship, Gen, Goodbyes, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 19:26:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9399518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amatara/pseuds/Amatara
Summary: The price of being a good person can be goddamn high. That doesn’t mean it's not still worth it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> In loving memory of Miguel Ferrer (1955-2017).

"Let's not kid ourselves, Coop." Albert's tone was ragged, but somehow still full of the dry wit and honesty Dale had come to associate with him. That he'd come to depend on, too, so the searing pain in his chest at seeing Albert like this, bleeding out under Dale's hands, felt ugly and selfish and utterly inadequate. "We all know I'm not on anyone's list of favorite people," Albert went on. "Except yours, maybe, but there's no accounting for taste. I'm hardly going to be missed, so better me than you, right?" He trailed off, his eyes kind despite the harshness of his words.

Dale shook his head, not knowing what to say that would make any of this bearable. All he knew was it wasn't supposed to end like this: with Albert having saved his soul, only to die less than a year later in the line of duty, a mere sixty years of age. They should have retired, grown old together. Failing that, if anyone deserved to live, it was Albert, not him.

"That's not true," Dale said, his voice catching. "You're a good person, Albert. One of the best. The world always misses good people, even if not everyone living in it appreciates them enough." The tears were flowing freely now, and Cooper wiped them away with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't even be alive if not for what you did for me. It was my turn to save _you_ , not the other way around."

Albert’s hand reached up to touch Cooper's cheek. "Do you know what a pain in the ass you were to rescue? If you think I went through all that just to resign myself to having you snatched away now, you're losing your touch, Coop." He gulped down a breath, then grimaced. "No. If you'd asked me two years ago if I wanted to sign up for this, all of it, I would've. And if this is Death coming to collect for giving you back to us, I'll pay him. No regrets.”

Dale swallowed, willing himself to believe it, to accept that his own life truly had been worth saving, but how could he, if the price was this high? "Albert, I... I don't know if I can..."

"Promise me, Coop. God damn it, promise you'll hang in there." Albert's eyes were drifting shut, his hand falling away from Dale's face. Dale caught it and nodded silently, saw Albert’s face grow slack with relief. Impossibly, he was trying to grin. "Didn't I tell you to stop pestering me... to quit smoking? People like us... don’t live long enough... to die of cancer.”

By the time Cooper had recovered from that, Albert was already gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Like Cooper's pain, this little drabble feels very inadequate, but it's what I have right now.


End file.
